Crickets for Leopard Geckos: How Many and How Often

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Crickets for leopard gecko diets are a safe staple. A good amount is 6 to 10 crickets per feeding, and juveniles up to 12 months eat daily, and adults eat 2 to 3 times per week, per a vet reviewed care sheet. The cricket should be no wider than the width of the gecko’s head.

The leopard gecko diet overview covers every feeder and food group. This page covers crickets only. It explains what they offer, how to size and count them, and how to prepare them.

Are Crickets a Good Staple?

Yes, Merck lists the leopard gecko as an insectivore that eats mainly insects, and it names crickets among the commonly used feeders. The vet reviewed care sheet calls crickets and dubia roaches the staples, with dubia lower in fat.

In the wild the species eats scorpions, centipedes, spiders and beetles. Captive crickets stand in for that varied prey. Mixing in other feeders is sensible, and the feeder insect guide compares the options.

Live crickets also trigger a hunting response. A gecko that ignores a dish of dead insects may chase a moving cricket.

Crickets for Leopard Gecko Nutrition

Crickets are mostly water and protein, with modest fat and little calcium. The numbers below come from the house cricket, Acheta domesticus, since no composition study tied to leopard geckos was found. Treat them as cricket data, not gecko data.

The two unsupplemented Ca:P figures differ because the studies used different insects and methods. Both are far below the roughly 1:1 balance that the Allen and Oftedal work treated as the target.

Low calcium matters because metabolic bone disease is the most common bone disease in reptiles, per Merck. Listed causes include a low Ca:P diet, vitamin D3 deficiency, lack of UVB and inadequate heat. That is the reason crickets must be gut loaded and dusted rather than fed plain.

Cricket Size by Gecko Age

Use the head rule at every age: the cricket should be no wider than the gecko’s head. Hatchlings measure about 85 mm and adults about 220 mm. The right cricket changes a lot in the first year.

Oversized prey can cause refusal, choking or digestive trouble. When in doubt, choose the smaller cricket and offer a few more of them.

How Many Crickets to Feed a Leopard Gecko

The care sheet figures are 6 to 10 medium insects per feeding for juveniles and 6 to 10 large insects for adults. Hatchling specific counts were not found in an authoritative source, so the hatchling row below follows the juvenile rule.

The RSPCA sheet gives no count but a slightly different rhythm: juveniles daily and adults every other day. Between the two sheets, an adult lands on two to four feedings a week.

These are ranges, not targets. A common keeper practice is to offer crickets for 10 to 15 minutes and count what is eaten. Then adjust the next meal.

Tail width and body shape are better guides than the calendar. A plump, wide tail and steady growth mean the amount is right.

Obesity with little exercise can lead to hepatic lipidosis in reptiles generally, per Merck. If an adult gets heavy, reduce the count gradually rather than skipping meals.

Gut Loading Crickets

Gut loading means feeding the crickets a nutrient dense diet before they are fed to the gecko. It matters because a cricket’s gut contents are part of what the gecko eats.

In adult house crickets, a diet with 8% calcium fed for at least 48 hours raised Ca:P from about 0.14 to about 1.3. Lower calcium diets of 2% to 6% gave ratios of only 0.34 to 0.88. Only the higher levels came close to 1:1.

A review of gut loading research reports mixed results and says water, temperature and growth stage all influence outcomes. Some commercial dry gut load diets did not meet their own calcium guarantees in one test. Use fresh vegetables and a high calcium feed, and give the crickets at least 24 hours to eat.

Keep the gut load going until feeding time. Crickets that sit without food for a day lose the benefit.

Dusting With Calcium

Merck advises dusting insects with calcium immediately before they are offered. Shake the crickets in a small cup with a pinch of powder and offer them right away.

Dusting works, but not perfectly. In a hatchling study, supplement dust raised house cricket calcium by about 2.8% of dry matter. Crickets groom dust off over time.

The care sheet recommends plain calcium without D3 at most feedings. D3 goes on once or twice weekly depending on UVB exposure. A multivitamin goes on once or twice weekly.

Supplement choices are covered in the calcium supplement guide.

The same study found dusting added about 1,261 IU/kg of D3 to house crickets. The supplement measured about 3.5 times its label. Label values are not always exact, which argues against heavy daily D3 dusting without UVB or vet advice.

Feeding Method and Leftover Crickets

Offer crickets in a smooth sided dish or release a measured number into the enclosure. An escape proof feeder dish keeps them in reach and stops them from hiding in decor.

Remove uneaten crickets after the feeding session. The RSPCA care sheet says to remove uneaten bugs to prevent them biting the gecko, or to feed in a separate container so no substrate is swallowed. The 15 minute window in the evening is common keeper practice, not a sourced figure.

Hand or tong feeding gives you a count of what was eaten. Feeding tongs with soft tips also keep fingers away from the gecko’s mouth.

Never feed wild caught crickets. Merck does not address them. Wild insects can carry pesticides and parasites, and a clean supply is easy to buy.

Keeping Crickets Short Term

Keep a few days of supply in a ventilated tub with food and a source of moisture. Overcrowding and dampness cause die offs, and the cricket feeding guide covers housing and care in more depth.

What to Do If

If the gecko refuses crickets, check temperatures first, then try a smaller size or a different feeder. Persistent refusal combined with weakness, a swollen jaw or an abnormal gait needs a reptile vet. Merck lists anorexia, lethargy and swollen jaws among signs of metabolic bone disease.

If the gecko eats only a few crickets, do not add more at once. Leave the same number and recheck the next session.

Overall, crickets are a solid base for the leopard gecko diet when they are properly sized, loaded and dusted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I feed crickets for leopard gecko meals every day?

Daily feeding is the care sheet schedule for juveniles up to 12 months. Adults do well on 2 to 3 feedings a week, and daily feeding of adults risks excess weight.

Do dead crickets work?

Dead crickets still carry the nutrition but lose the motion that triggers hunting. If you use them, dust them fresh and offer them with tongs.

Do I need a calcium dish as well?

The RSPCA care sheet says to provide a bowl of plain calcium powder at all times. In the hatchling study, the geckos also had calcium carbonate available alongside dusted insects and showed no signs of metabolic bone disease.

Why does cricket size matter?

The head width rule keeps prey small enough to swallow and digest. Hatchlings are only about 85 mm long, so very small crickets are needed at first.

Should crickets be my only feeder?

Variety is better. The care sheet pairs crickets with dubia roaches, and wild leopard geckos eat many prey types.